The BEST survey shows the international success of Finnish public transport. In 2024, three out of four respondents were satisfied with public transport in the HSL area, and HSL was ranked fourth for the fourth time. Alongside HSL, the top cities are Turku in first place, Geneva in second and Tampere in third. Turku and Tampere were included in the survey in 2020. In terms of Turku and Tampere, only the central city is evaluated, whereas the entire operating area of HSL is included in the evaluation, resulting in more variation in the responses.
Since 2021, the NPS score for the HSL area has ranked third in the comparison, right after Tampere and Turku. Except for the top three cities and Geneva, the NPS score has been negative in all the other cities.
“This time, the grass is not greener on the other side! The figures speak for Finnish public transport. It is gratifying to see that residents place HSL among the international top, considering that we plan and organize transport for a very diverse area,” says Marko Vihervuori, Head of Traffic Research Group at HSL.
Greatest long-term improvements in supply of services, access to information and travel comfort
In 2024, the HSL area outperformed the other Nordic capital regions in the evaluation of almost all quality factors. Respondents in the HSL area were once again particularly satisfied with travel comfort, the reliability of services and the access to information. Additionally, the respondents now felt that they get slightly more value for their money. In terms of these factors, we are clearly above the BEST average. The fact that the respondents in the HSL area were satisfied with the reliability of services and access to information is an important observation, especially in summer 2024, when several diversion routes were in place in the area.
In the long term, significant positive changes can be seen in the level of satisfaction among the respondents in the HSL area. Since 2010, the greatest improvement in satisfaction has been in the evaluation of the cleanliness of vehicles, which reflects travel comfort. Additionally, residents are more satisfied with short waiting times, the ease of transfers and the manner in which public transport is regarded as being suitable for journeys outside the Helsinki city center. In addition, residents are also more satisfied with the access they have to information. For example, we have invested in signage available at stops and stations and timetable displays, introduced stop announcements on other modes of transport besides the Metro and trains, developed the HSL app and enabled various app notifications.
More information on the results
- The overall satisfaction of respondents with public transport in the HSL area increased to 75 percent (72 percent in 2023). The NPS recommendation index rose to 13 (7 in 2023).
- Satisfaction with the reliability of services decreased by three percentage points (from 78 percent to 75 percent), but satisfaction with other factors remained at the same good level as in 2023, or increased slightly.
- Development from 2010
- The level of satisfaction with the statement on the suitability of public transport for journeys outside the Helsinki city center has increased by 14 percentage points.
- The level of satisfaction with the statement on waiting times being short when transferring between modes of transport has increased by 18 percentage points. The level of satisfaction with the ease of transfers has increased by 16 percentage points.
- The overall level of satisfaction with the access to information has increased by 22 percentage points, and satisfaction with access to information during service disruptions has increased by a total of 35 percentage points.
- Satisfaction with the cleanliness of vehicles has increased by an impressive 34 percentage points. The biggest increase took place between 2011 and 2014, and the development stabilized at its current level around 2020.
- Satisfaction with the modernity of vehicles has increased from 67 percent in 2010 to 85 percent in 2024.
In 2024, the BEST survey (Benchmarking in European Service of Public Transport) was conducted in addition to the HSL area in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Geneva, Turku, Tampere, Bergen, Trondheim, Rotterdam/The Hague and Reykjavik. Almost 2,200 residents in the HSL area responded to the survey either online or by phone. Participants in the survey are selected randomly from among the residents, meaning that the survey also reached those who rarely or never use public transport. The survey has been conducted since 2001.